LOGINMALACHI By nightfall, we were prepared to strike.Caspian, Asher, and I had fortified ourselves with the necessary supplies, our resolve hardened to drive El Silbón back to the abyss from which he came. We had spent the daylight hours meticulously studying his weaknesses, ready to turn his own tragic history against him.The fissure in the barrier between the realms of the living and the dead remained a jagged wound in reality. Other entities were undoubtedly eyeing the breach, but we had to settle our problems one by one. Our immediate goal was to banish the Whistler and then secure a mage powerful enough to seal the crack. We had already dispatched men to scout for such a practitioner, as Elara remained resolute in her silence, refusing to intervene after I had defied her prophetic warnings.To ensure the safety of our own, we stationed a heavy guard around the estate to protect Kaida, the pups, and the nannies. With our home secured, we raced into the lightless depths of the fores
MALACHI By dawn, the grim reality of the night’s events began to surface. Reports of multiple murders trickled in, each more gruesome than the last.The police had already cordoned off the crime scenes, but the details leaked out: the killings were the work of a single, methodical individual. Each victim had been mutilated, their hearts surgically removed and their bodies mangled, with several key bones missing from the skeletal remains. The motive was a void, and the selection of homes seemed entirely random, scattered across the territory with no discernible pattern.What truly confounded the authorities was the testimony of one victim’s wife. She had been sleeping soundly beside her husband all night. When she awoke, she found only his lifeless, hollowed-out corpse. For a shifter, such a scenario was nearly impossible; our senses are too keen. Unless she had been heavily drugged, she should have scented the blood or heard the wet slide of a blade.Unless, I reflected, the killer i
ASHERIt began with a whistle. It was a distinct, eerie sound that seemed to recede into the distance as time passed, accompanied by the dry, rhythmic clinking of bones.Kaida’s terror intensified with every note. She huddled into herself, whispering a frantic mantra: "They’re here. They’re here." None of us had slept in days; her fear was a physical weight in the room, suffocating and relentless."I’m scared," she sobbed, her body wracked with tremors and delirium. "They will punish me." Malachi was always the first to reach her side. Although the rest of us had lost our connection to Kaida following her abduction and subsequent death, Malachi had managed to restore his through a soul bond. This link ran deeper than even the fated mate connection.Perhaps if we had possessed the foresight to forge a soul bond as he had, we might have eased her agony while she endured that prolonged, agonizing labor—battling the Goddess’s very will to bring our pups into the world. Yet, the cost was
CASPIAN "What were you thinking, Malachi?" I demanded, my voice strained by a mixture of mounting frustration and a simmering headache."I couldn't just let her die," Malachi countered, his tone sharp and defensive. "The Goddess clearly doesn’t give a damn about us. I simply sought help where I knew I would find it.""And the repercussions?" I pressed."I will bear the brunt of them," he insisted.Asher released a sharp hiss, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "You are being stubborn. You know perfectly well that what you did was foolish. It was this exact brand of disobedience that got us cursed in the first place, and here you are, repeating history.""I refuse to be bound by a wretched fate," Malachi roared, still unwilling to concede his error. "People alter their destinies through sheer determination and a refusal to settle for less. Just because she was fated to know nothing but pain doesn't mean she shouldn't be allowed to fight for her happiness."He was deluding himself, cling
ASHERKaida's reticence endured, a pervasive shroud that refused to lift. She picked at her food, her gaze drifting past our pups as they were introduced to her. Over a week had passed since her resurrection, yet a somber pall still clung to her, unbroken. Her smile, once radiant, remained elusive, and despite our efforts to lift her spirits, she remained listless and apathetic.We scrutinized her behavior, noting the frequency of her trances and the recurrence of night terrors that left her trembling. Malachi's watchful presence hovered around her, a stark contrast to his initial aloofness. His attention, though subtle, raised suspicions.Our initial elation at Kaida's return had been short-lived, tempered by the realization that she was merely existing, not living. It was a cruel mockery, a parody of the vibrant, fierce woman she once was. I felt wretched admitting it, but I wondered if she would have been better off remaining dead. At least then, we could have mourned her properl
CASPIAN "Where are you?" I demanded from Kai."I'm on my way. I will be there soon," he replied, his tone laced with irritation."Where did you go?" "Do I have to be reporting my whereabouts to you now?" he retorted.I narrowed my gaze, wondering why Malachi was more agitated than usual. He surely knew Kaida had passed away. Perhaps he was expressing his grief as aggression."Be on time. You're the one delaying us. Come and express your farewell so we can bury the dead," I said.There was no response from his end, but I took his silence as acknowledgement and ended the call.Malachi arrived home a few hours later, and from the look of him, he was worse for wear. I wondered where he had been over the past five days since he had gone missing."Malachi," I said, my voice firm as I pinned him with a stern look.Malachi met my gaze squarely, his eyes flashing with defiance. Intimidation or coercion had rarely worked on him. Asher would have caved in, but Malachi was a different story alt
CASPIAN "Should I let them in, Sir?" Jayden, the gatekeeper, inquired."Yes," I confirmed, though reluctantly. Refusing them entry was not an option; it would only solidify their suspicion that my brothers and I were involved in the kidnapping. Furthermore, denying the officers access to my home
KAIDAAsher and Caspian were waiting in the sitting room when I entered. Malachi had carried me back home, scaling the walls to reach his room, while I had entered the house through the front door. Although I was adventurous, I wasn't reckless enough to entertain the idea of having him convey me to
KAIDA"What a shameless being you are," the woman chided, shaking her head in open disapproval."Vicky," Malachi warned, both of us rising to our feet in response. I instinctively positioned myself protectively before Malachi when Vicky's gaze drifted with blatant interest toward his form. A smirk
KAIDA I stood momentarily stunned as the ethereally snow-white wolf vanished from sight, its head turning towards me at the precise moment I whispered Malachi's name – a coincidence, or something more? The image of an obsidian-black wolf, eerie yet majestic, had been my mental picture of his true







